Thanks!
I'm going to put the Ricochet skid plate on... it's tougher than the Yami plate, but still has some attachment to the sump, but it's not a solid mount, has a rubber/movable bushings between so it gives if hit... I don't really intend to take this bike on roads rated harder than level 3 (IAMC grading)... I've hung on to my KLR for those rides up to Louie Lake, Black Rock Mine and Trinity Peak LO etc... this bike is meant to replace my 1700 Nomad as my long range touring bike and easy going back roads/fire roads when the tar ends and/or the bike I'll take to Alaska/Mexico when that happens...

what do you like best about your S Ten so far?... any dislikes??

I've done a ton of research on this bike before making this decision vs getting the 1200 GSA, and I feel very comfortable with the choice...

cheers! rick

What do I like about the bike.... so far everything ..... dislikes....Hmmmm? .... the only dislike I can think of would be that the rad is located under the left side cover and it vents warm air directly onto your left knee, which can be a bit annoying on a warm day. It sounds like our reasoning for purchase is very close to the same.... the last couple of yrs I have found that I've been riding more DS than trail and I wanted something to ride longer loops and possibly two up. I have a DRZ for the more technical rock hopping adventures and can also fill in as my trail bike.

My S10 came equipped with both the Yamaha boxes and skid plate. The boxes seem fine for basic touring and minor off road. A box system with more cross support might be desired for more technical terrain. The skid plate.... is nothing more than a rock guard. The sump on this bike is pretty thin and it doesn't take much to punch a hole through it. I have chosen AltRider for crash bars and will probably switch over to their skid plate as well.

The stock wind screen is adequate... I am 6'3" and do get some wind buffeting. I've moved the screen up to the high position which helped a lot. My next purchase will probably be a Madstad Engineering Adjustable Bracket, which I believe will provide additional improvement.

The pre-load adjustment knob on the rear shock is plastic and few have reported the knobs stripping out. For some reason Yamaha insists on replacing the whole shock instead of just the knob. Eagle Mike Manufacturing has a machined replacement option.

I chose to replace the stock bars with a set of Pro Taper ATV Mid bars..... I chose the ATV Mids because they retain about the same rise, half the sweep, and are 32" wide. You can go taller than stock, but longer clutch and brake lines might be necessary. I don't anticipate riding the pegs a ton on this bike. The bar replacement I felt was one of the more significant improvements. The reduced sweep really opening up my shoulders reducing hand fatigue and pulled my COG a bit forward making the bike feel as it handled better. If you decide to switch out the bars be careful during install so that the bars do not contact the tank.

Promoto Billet has a nice set of adventure pegs if you want a bit more platform.

There have been a few reports of the headlight wiring overheating and shorting out the harness. There is a theory that the plastic connector on the headlight end of the harness impedes good contact of the connector to the bulb. I chose to remove the plastic connector and crimp the stock connectors tighter.... time will tell.

There have also been a few reports of loose spokes. Most seem to be on the drive side rear. My take is it has something to do with wheel design and the nipples being on the hub vs the rim. Most just recommend frequent checking that one doesn't come loose. Problem being if one does... the nipple will eject out of the hub and the loose spoke will flail around. I chose to be more proactive putting the wheels on a stand and ... taking my time... applying VibraTite to each nipple. VibraTite is a non hardening thread locker that allows fastener adjustment after application ...

As you know this bike has both Traction Control and ABS. The TC system can be deactivated, but not the ABS. You can however put the bike on the center stand, start, and let it idle in 2nd gear. This will fault the ABS basically deactivating it. When you turn off the ignition and then restart the ABS will reset.

I"m 100% positive that you'll love the bike... and Snake River so far has been really good to deal with.